Hua Hin Beach destination guide

The beach destination of choice for Bangkok expats

Hua Hin Thailand is the beach resort of choice for metropolitan Thais and expats living in Bangkok. It was also reputedly once the beach of choice for Thai royalty. A little over two hours by road from Bangkok, it’s an easy day trip for any traveller who doesn’t have Thailand’s beaches and islands on their itinerary. Because it’s so popular with influential Thais, Hua Hin has been protected from the kind of rampant development that blights popular tourist beaches further south.

Hua Hin is only two hours drive from Bangkok

While not in the same class as famous beach resorts like Phuket, Pattaya and Ao Nang, Hua Hin still remains a very creditable beach option for those on a restricted itinerary and a great opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok for a couple of days. There are some nice hotels here and lots of attractions to keep visitors coming back.

Cool things about Hua Hin

Hua Hin is on the international rail line from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok.

There is a railway line running directly from Bangkok to Hua Hin, so it’s very easy to get to.

Hua Hin is only 2-3 hours driving time from Bangkok or about 1 hour by plane.

Hua Hin is the oldest and most traditional of the Thailand beach resorts.

Hua Hin is the favourite beach resort of the Thai royal family and Bangkok locals, so it’s largely protected from over-development.

The beaches of Hua Hin are wide, around 25 km long and mostly uncrowded, except on major holiday weekends.

The “glitterati” of Bangkok and many wealthy expats own beach houses in and around Hua Hin.

There are many special places to explore around Hua Hin incuding caves, waterfalls, beautiful parks, golf courses and hilly peaks.

It’s fun to stroll around the main streets of Hua Hin in the evenings and eat amazing seafood in the restaurants built on piers over the water.

Hua Hin is quite a small city, with a permanent population of only around 50,000.

Hua Hin’s climate is tropical, but it gets less than half of the rainfall that Bangkok gets so it’s often sunny all year round.

Hua Hin’s “Railway Hotel”, now the Centara Grand Beach Resort, was used as the “Hotel Phnom Phen” in the movie The Killing Fields.

Songthaews (public utility vans) are the preferred method of getting around in Hua Hin and are very cheap to use.

Top attractions in Hua Hin

Suan Son Pradipat Beach, Hua Hin Thailand

Hua Hin is all about the beach, and the most popular Hua Hin beach is called Suan Son Pradipat (1) and the main attraction is that it’s not infested by hawkers, jet skiers and other distractions. It’s all pure beach because it’s owned by the Thai Navy who keep a close eye on it. Suan Son Padipat is about 15 minutes out of Hua Hin towards Khao Tao but it’s worth the taxi fare (or just jump on the orange bus to Pranburi and get off at the Army Rehab stop). You can rent a beach chair for about 20 Bt and if you go during the week you won’t be bothered by crowds. Hua Hin Beach itself is clean and pleasant and does not get very crowded but the area nearby is quite commercial and the sand is very reflective so it get hot quite quickly. There are also areas where the jet ski crowd seem to have taken over to the detriment of others and there are problems with beggars at times.

Black Mountain golf course Hua Hin Thailand

If you’re a sports fan, Hua Hin offers some of Thailand’s best golf courses including the spectacular Black Mountain Golf Club (2), names as the “Best Golf Club in Thailand” in 2011 and 2013. Although currently being extensively renovated, the course has stunning scenery and magnificent fairways and greens to impress the fussiest golfer. If you get tired of Black Mountain, visit the award runner-up – Banyan Golf Club (ranked the #1 attraction in Hua Hin by TripAdvisor readers). Banyan Golf Club has gorgeous views away to the mountains on the Burma border and offers layouts that will challenge even the most experienced golfer.

Black Mountain water park, Hua Hin Thailand

If you’re travelling with children, you need to check out Black Mountain Water Park (3), which offers everything a good water park should – nine big water slides ranging from exciting to heart-stopping, a thundering wave pool, a lazy “river” to float down on tyre tubes and lots of shady spots with sun lounges to relax, catch a sun tan and keep an eye on the kids. Entry fee is just 600 Bt per adult and 300 Bt per child. If your kids are older and more adventurous, try Hua Hin Kite Surfing where they can get taught to sail kite boards on the beach for 4500 Bt per two hour lesson. You need three lessons before you’re allowed out on a kite board on your own and the cost then is 13,500 Bt for 30 minutes.

Klai Kangwon Palace, built by Thailand’s King Rama VII

One of the lesser known attractions in Hua Hin is the Klai Kangwon Palace (4), built by Thailand’s King Rama VII in the late 1920s as a weekend beach getaway for the Thai royal family. The name “Klai Kangwon” means “far from worries” in Thai and that’s exactly what Hua Hin means for many ordinary Thais too. You can visit the palace when the royal family is not in residence – they usually visit in March-April. Entry cost is 20 Bt.

Other attractions in and around Hua Hin include:

Hua Hin Vineyard (5) where you can go for wine tasting and a lovely meal, about 45 minutes from the city

Wat Huay Mongkol (6), a temple house that was commissioned by the Queen of Thailand as a home for Luang Pu Thuat, a monk who was said to perform miracles

Takiap Hill (7), located about 4 km out of town, offers commanding views of the local area and is home to a number of Buddhist communities

Soi Bintabaht (8) and Soi Selakam, both popular areas for nightlife in Hua Hin and full of beer bars, discos, karaoke bars and some nice pubs with live bands (not at all like Pattaya or Patong).

The best times to go to Hua Hin

There are three major festivals held each year in Hua Hin:

Thailand International Kite Festival is held in March each year in Hua Hin

Thailand International Kite Festival is held in March when the winds coming in off the Gulf of Thailand create perfect kite flying conditions. The festival is held at an army camp (King Rama IV Army Camp) just north of the city and has been running for over a decade. Kite enthusiasts come from all over Thailand and even other countries to compete. The Thai word for “kite” is “wow”, which conveniently sums up this event!

Hua Hin Jazz Festival is held in June each year

Hua Hin Jazz Festival is held in late May or early June and draws top jazz musicians from all around the world to Hua Hin to jam on the beach. The festival is held at the Centara Grand Beach Resort and is starting to be a showcase for Asian jazz with performers from Thailand, Japan and Indonesia. For more information, visit http://www.jazzfestivalhuahin.com/

Hua Hin Vintage Car Rally is held every December

Hua Hin Vintage Car Rally is held in December, usually the driest month of the year. The event gathers pace at the Sofitel Central Plaza Hotel, Bangkok and then makes a leisurely convoy to the Sofitel Central Hotel in Hua Hin and usually includes around 60 or so vintage and classic cars. For more information, visit http://www.tourismhuahin.com/vintage-cars-huahin.php.

Lots of Hollywood stars come for the Hua Hin Film Festival

Hua Hin Film Festival is held in late January, commencing last year. This festival is a great way to catch up on the major movies that have wowed Asian audiences in the past year including both Western and Asian blockbusters. The opening and closing ceremonies are held at the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort but are only open to invited guests. The movie screenings are held at the Major Ciniplex in the Market Village and there’s also a parade of stars on the main beach. For more information, visit http://www.huahinfilmfest.com

A video tour of Hua Hin

Getting to Hua Hin Thailand

If you’re going to visit Hua Hin, you’ll most likely be starting out from Bangkok. You can’t fly to Hua Hin from Bangkok, oddly enough, although you can fly there from Subang in Malaysia three times a week. Most people travel to Hua Hin by train.

You can catch a train to Hua Hin from Hualamphong railway station in central Bangkok. Most westerners choose to travel 2nd class as it’s only a few hours on the train. You can buy 2nd class tickets in advance up to 90 days ahead of your trip and most travel agents can arrange them as part of your itinerary. Trains leave for Hua Hin from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm weekdays and from 8:30 am to midday on weekends and public holidays. The 2nd class fare is 380 Bt per adult and 190 Bt per child (children under 4 travel free). Check out the State Railway of Thailand for schedules. When you get to Hua Hin, check out the railway station before you rush off to your hotel … it used to be a royal pavilion and is a tourist attraction in its own right.

If you don’t fancy the train, you can catch a VIP air-conditioned bus to Hua Hin from the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok. These buses run every half hour from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily and the trip takes a little over 3 hours. Cost is around 300 Bt per person. Buses will drop you near the Siri Petchkasem Hotel on Srasong Road in Hua Hin.

There are also direct VIP buses from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, straight to Hua Hin, which cost around 300 Bt per person and leave at 7:30 am, 9.30 am, 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm every day. Find out more about these buses at www.airporthuahinbus.com.

An even cheaper option is to jump aboard one of the tourist minibuses that leave from the centre of Bangkok, near the Victory Monument BTS Station. Just catch the BTS Skytrain to Victory Monument station and walk down the stairs to street level on the eastern side and you’ll see lots of minibuses waiting there to whisk you away. Just look for the “Hua Hin” sign or ask for the Hua Hin minibus and pay your 180 Bt fare. If there’s no minibus waiting, phone 080-090-6540 to find out when the next minibus will arrive.

Places to stay in Hua Hin

Anantara Hua Hin Resort is the best value hotel in Hua Hin according to TripAdvisor

If you’re looking for Hua Hin hotels, it’s hard to go past the Antara Hua Hin Resort, situated right on the beach at White Sand. The resort is set in beautiful tropical gardens running down to the beach and the lagoon or beach view rooms are worth the extra money. Guests in the lagoon rooms get their own private swimming pool and cocktails in the afternoon. Don’t eat at the resort though as the food is very expensive compared to the fantastic nearby restaurants.

Centara Grand Beach Resort is a truly grand hotel right on the beach in Hua Hin

If you’re looking for luxury Hua Hin resorts and especially if you’re travelling with children, you should consider the ever popular 5-star Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas and the Novotel Hua Hin Cha Am Beach Resort & Spaon the Cha Am beachfront. Like all Sofitel hotels, it’s predictably comfortable and well organised, with a great kids’ club and rooms with beach views but can get a bit crowded during peak season. It’s located a little away from the city centre and the popular street restaurants but this also means it’s quieter. There are regular shuttle buses into the town.

Places to eat and drink in Hua Hin

You’ll find plenty of choice for cafes, restaurants and bars anywhere near the beach front in Hua Hin, although the closer you get to the beach and to the top of Khao Takiap, the more tourist-focused they become. But there are some good places to eat between the beach and Khao Takiap, along Phetkasem Road and especially along Naresdamri Road where you can get some nice seafood with a great sea view.

If you’re looking for budget food, look no further than the Hua Hin night market or the food hall in the Tesco shopping centre in Market Village. For good coffee, try the World News Cafe opposite the Hilton Hotel. And for a classy night out, try the Palm Bistro and Wine Bar, a few kilometres back off the beach (take the turn 0ff at the San Paolo Hospital) for food cooked by a five star chef formerly from the London Savoy Hotel.

Getting around in Hua Hin

This tourist-oriented Hua Hin map will help you to orient yourself on and find the best places to stay and the best things to do within easy reach of your hotel. Click here for a large scale Hua Hin tourist map you can print out and take with you.

Hua Hin weather and climate

The climate of Hua Hin is quite similar to Bangkok, although not as hot because of the sea breezes. Bangkok locals insist that you can enjoy Hua Hin’s weather virtually all year round, but it is most popular in the cooler season between November and February as the temperatures get up into the high 30s after March. Although Hua Hin has a rainy season from June to October, it does not rain a lot except perhaps in September. In any case, even when it is raining it’s usually only for a short period, then it’s good again.

Weather forecast for Hua Hin, Thailand

A video preview of Hua Hin beach

The video below shows a great panoramic sweep across Hua Hin’s main beach and the city area (thanks to thailandfacts.com).

If you’d like to find out more about Hua Hin, please ask a question below and we’ll do our best to answer it … or just go to Hua Hin TripAdvisor and check the forums.

Tony and Tracy Gilbert are veteran Asian travellers with experience living and travelling in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and other Asian countries. Tony is a former journalist and editor who writes for many travel websites.

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